


Choreae Lucis

by Shestoolazytologin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ballet, Ballet Teacher Rey, Ben Solo is a girl dad, Ben Solo is a huge softie, Ben needs to have sex, Dance School, Elle is the daughter I always wanted to have, Error 404: Angst not found, F/M, Fluff, HEA, Rey is like sunshine, Smut, Soft Ben Solo, Solo Love Letters Exchange, a five year old throws a frozen themed birthday party, always HEA, matchmaking little monsters, saving the world one single dad Ben Solo at a time, tutus are cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:29:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shestoolazytologin/pseuds/Shestoolazytologin
Summary: He first sees her when he drops his four year old daughter off at her ballet classes.She is absolutely breathtaking.Or simply put: Ben Solo takes his daughter to her ballet classes and forgets his heart there.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 156
Kudos: 819
Collections: Numerous OTPS Infinite Fandoms, Solo Love Letters





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elemie89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/gifts).



> Thank you Em for the lovely prompt. I had the best time writing it, and I hope this is what you had in mind!
> 
> Choreae Lucis, roughly translated from latin, means "the dance of light", or "light dance", depending on the language it is translated to.

[ ](https://ibb.co/715V89z)

He first sees her when he drops his four year old daughter off at her ballet classes. It’s usually his mother that does it, but he feels like he is missing out on too many things lately, and his little girl is growing too fast for his liking. She is there, hair up in three odd but endearing buns, wearing a black leotard and ballet flats. She is skinny, though not malnourished, with a posture that screams years of training. Her eyes are bright and joyful, and he suddenly understands why his daughter gushes about her ballet teacher every time she comes home. 

She is absolutely breathtaking. 

He is so mesmerized that he almost forgets about his daughter, who is tugging on his hand. He looks down at her a moment before he realizes what she's doing.

It’s almost comical, how his 6’2’’ form is being pulled forward by his three foot tall daughter. He doesn’t resist, allowing himself to be dragged forward, his daughter’s black curls bouncing until she stops in front of her lovely teacher.

“Hello, miss Rey,” she says, polite as ever. “This is my daddy.”

_Rey._ Of course she’s named after a beam of sunlight. No other name could be more fitting. 

He shakes her hand, trying - and failing - not to stare at her bright smile and the adorable dimples on each side of her lovely mouth. He realizes his mouth is hanging open and snaps it shut.

“Hello, Mr. Solo,” she says, “Pleasure to meet you. Elle never stops talking about you.”

His eyebrows shoot up, and he looks at the child currently smiling at both adults. “Likewise. It almost feels as if you live with us.”

The smile blooms into a laugh, and _how is she so beautiful?_

“All good, I hope?”

She has no fucking clue his daughter adores her. 

He keeps his answer simple and honest. “You’re her favorite.” 

She blushes, a shy smile on her lips, and he doesn’t know why, but his heart skips several beats. He shouldn't be so attracted to his daughter's adorable ballet teacher, but he is, and since the attraction seems entirely one-sided, this could get messy real fast if she ever finds out.

Elle lets go of his hand and grasps Rey’s. “Miss Rey, I was telling daddy about our show.”

He faintly remembers the show his daughter had gone on about that morning, and feels ashamed for forgetting about it. 

“Oh, yes. Our ballet show,” she says proudly. “My littlest babies are going to put on a small ballet show. Parents and talent scouts are invited, so it will be a great opportunity.”

Elle wanders off to chat with the other children in her class as Ben perks up at the mention of talent scouts. “Aren’t they a little young?”

Rey waves that off. “Nobody is too young when talent is involved. The focus isn’t necessarily the talent scouts. This is mostly for parents to see what their children have learned. We would be thrilled to have you and your wife here.”

He looks at his daughter. “It’s just me and Elle.”

The smile leaves her face slightly. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s nothing,” he says looking away, too aware of the awkwardness of the situation. “I’ll, uh… I’ll be going now.”

Rey worries her bottom lip, and despite how uncomfortable this moment is, he can't move his eyes away.

“She should be done in an hour.”

He nods and smiles slightly. “See you later.”

He gets out of the ballet studio as fast as he can. He’s lucky Elle is so young, otherwise he is sure she would have awarded him with Most Embarrassing Dad Of The Century. 

* * *

He told himself he was going to make Leia take Elle to her ballet classes, yet here he is, doing it himself. He parks his car, gets Elle out of her car seat, and lets himself be dragged inside by the small girl once again. 

Rey is as breathtaking as he remembered. Her hair is up in a half bun, she is wearing black tights and shirt, her eyebrows are furrowed and she is typing on her laptop at a furious pace. 

The studio is empty. 

“Miss Rey!”

Elle is a ball of lightning and sprints towards Rey before he even realizes she let go of his hand. Rey looks up, bemused, before her expression transforms into one of her brilliant smiles

“Hi Elle! What are you doing here?” She hugs Elle without hesitation and looks up at him questioningly.

He has to remind himself how to breathe. He feels like a teenager all over again, getting nervous when a pretty girl looks in his direction.

“We came for her classes,” he answers with a shrug. 

She looks confused for a split second before looking at her laptop and clicking a few times. “There are no classes today. It was written in the schedule.”

Embarrassment washes over him, his face growing hot, and the urge to flee, crawl into a hole, and live out the rest of his days in complete solitude is strong. “Sorry. My mother signed her up for this, so she has the schedule.”

Rey smiles and shakes her head. “No worries. I figured as much, since Leia is always the one to bring her.”

He rubs the back of his neck, clearing his throat. “Yeah… work tends to get a bit hectic.”

She nods, and they both look away, Ben looking around the room and pretending to be interested in every piece of furniture.

Elle looks at them, head moving between both, and chooses the worst moment to be like her grandmother. “Daddy promised he would take me for ice cream after ballet. Do you want to come with us?”

Rey blinks, and he wracks his brain for any mention of ice cream, suppressing a groan when he finds none, realizing what his daughter is doing. He looks down at her, finding her looking back at him pointedly.

"Yes," he says slowly, the desire to get to know her hitting him square in the chest. "You're welcome to join us." He swallows, hoping she doesn’t refuse. 

“I don’t want to impose...” She bites her lip, looking between Elle and Ben. 

“Miss Rey,” Elle tugs on her hand, “I would really love it if you came. Daddy would too.”

He resists telling his daughter to stop talking. There is _no way_ Rey is going to say yes. Kick them both out and file a restraining order is more like it. 

Rey is looking at him with bright, hazel eyes, and he feels like he could drown in them. 

He’s a grown ass man. Why is he scared that she'll refuse? 

_Remember the last time you let yourself get attached?_ says the small voice in the back of his head. 

_I got Elle,_ he tells it. _She’s worth all that pain._ The voice quiets down at that. 

Rey is still looking at him, and he takes a deep breath. “Yeah. We would love it if you would join us.”

She gives him a shy smile. “Me too.”

* * *

Rey is a survivor. She tells him about her life, childhood - or lack, thereof - and passion for dancing. She was abandoned very young, left at the front door of a police station- she jokes about how her parents had enough sense to drop her off there instead of the dumpster, and his heart squeezes - circled through the foster system for almost ten years, before being adopted by a kind woman named Maz, to whom she owes everything. 

Ballet was as easy as breathing, she tells him. 

He is in awe of the strong woman she is, and doesn’t hesitate to share his story when she asks about Elle’s mother. 

“We had been dating for about half a year when we found out she was pregnant,” he says, looking in the direction of his daughter, who is currently playing in the kids’ corner of the ice cream shop. “I was over the moon. She was less excited, but I thought it was just nervousness at the prospect of a child.”

He pauses to gather his thoughts, before saying the words that have been breaking his heart every day for the past four years. “She had Elle, she held her, and then she abandoned her mere hours later. She told me she wanted nothing to do with Elle, and so I told her Elle and I wanted nothing to do with her. And that was the last time I saw her. She didn't even bother showing up for the custody hearing.”

She gasps, her dainty hand covering her mouth, and he can see the genuine sorrow in her eyes. He’s struck by how similar she and Elle are. 

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she says, grasping his hand. He feels sparks of sensation where her skin touches his. 

He wonders if she feels them too, as she awkwardly pulls her hand away and smiles shyly. 

“Miss Rey.” 

They both jump as Elle tugs on Rey’s hand, looking at her with big bright eyes. “It’s my birthday next week, and I want you to come to my party.”

Rey looks at him with both eyebrows raised, and he shrugs. “I guess you’re the little tyrant’s guest.”

Elle frowns, narrowing her eyes in a way that is scarily close to one of his mother's looks. 

“Okay.” Rey pets Elle’s cheek with the back of her fingers. “Thank you.”

Elle smiles widely, and Rey returns it with a smile just as wide. That is the moment Ben Solo knows he’s completely and utterly fucked. 

Ö

It’s the day of Elle’s birthday party, and his mother has gone all out. He is covered in pink glitter, and while he adores his daughter, this is too much. 

Elle herself is wearing Elsa’s dress from Frozen, her long, curly hair braided on the side, and he thanks the heavens she didn’t make a fuss about the fact she isn’t blonde like the ice queen. 

Elle is officially 5, and it’s too early for her to worry about the way she looks. 

Her cake is - _of course -_ with a picture of Elsa’s face. Chocolate and blueberry flavored, he thinks there might be enough sugar in there to keep her going for the rest of her life. 

He opens the door eagerly each time the doorbell rings, trying not to let his disappointment show when he realizes it's not the person he's hoping to see. 

It’s confusing. He has just met her. He knows he should tread these waters carefully, or he will risk breaking his daughter’s heart. He stopped caring about his own a while ago, but he will do anything to spare Elle pain. 

He is filling different bowls with snacks when he feels eyes on him. He turns around, only to come face to face with the very pair of hazel eyes he has been hoping to see the whole day. 

“Rey.” He hates how breathy his voice sounds, but he can’t help it. He is _very_ fond of his daughter’s teacher.

“Hello Ben,” she says with a shy smile. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Always,” he says, wanting to slap himself when he realizes how desperate that sounds. “I mean, of course.”

She purses her lips, her eyes sparkling with humor, and he can't help but find her adorable. 

“Elle is in the backyard, if you wanna say hi?”

She nods, and he leads her towards the loud voice that can only be his daughter in the other room.

“She’s a natural,” Rey says. He looks at her, bemused. “She’s a natural at leading,” she clarifies. “You should see how she is during her ballet classes, she’s not even trying. The other kids tend to naturally gravitate towards her.”

He smiles fondly. "That's my mother. I think it skips a generation." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "I'm not good with people.”

Rey puts a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you’re great.” she says, kissing his cheek and walking towards Elle, as if she hadn't just upended his whole world.

He stands there for what feels like an eternity, trying to convince himself that not washing his cheek would be a stupid idea.

* * *

He’s in a trance, watching Rey talk to his mother, take pictures with Elle, simply be her sunshiny self, wondering if that’s how she got her name.

He wants to ask her out, bask in her light, maybe ask her to stay forever. He knows that would be too much too soon, and would definitely freak her out, but he can't help it, and -

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” his mother asks, interrupting his thoughts. He can't help but nod. “Elle loves her too.”

“Yeah, she does,” he answers, before he realizes he's making googly eyes at Rey in front of his mother. He clears his throat, changing the subject. “Uh, I hope everything is okay?”

Leia smiles and nods before winking at him. “If I were you, I would hurry up. Girls like that don’t tend to stay free for too long.”

“What?” He feigns ignorance, hoping his mother will play along.

She does not, however, play along.

She rolls her eyes at him, obviously annoyed with him. “Go ask Rey out, you idiot, and then go get laid. God knows you need it.”

He chokes, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.

* * *

He hands Rey a glass of wine and she takes it, thanking him. 

“I’m glad you came,” he tells her, hoping fate will help him keep this conversation in the right direction.

“I’m glad I was invited,” she says, looking at him. He begins playing a possible future in his head, one in which he takes her out on several dates and kisses her at the end of each of them.

He bites the inside of his lip as she looks at him with a faint smile, as if she knows exactly what he’s trying to do.

“Ben?”

He exhales and clears his throat. “Would you like to go out sometime? With me. I mean, not with Elle, of course, but you know, just two people-”

She kisses his cheek _again -_ the right one, this time - and he decides not to wash that side of his face either.

“I’d love to go on a date with you, Ben.” she smiles at him brightly. 

He stands there, stunned, only peripherally aware that she's saying her goodbyes. As she gets into her car and drives away, he shakes his head, trying to clear it. They hadn't even worked out the details of their date. 

But Rey kissed him, both cheeks. If he’s freaking out over two kisses on the cheek, what kind of an idiot will he be if he ever gets to kiss her for real?

* * *

He decides to drop off Elle for her ballet classes himself from that point forward. Walking into the studio, he sees several kids already there, in their buns and tutus, and Rey talking to some women, who he assumes are the mothers. She catches sight of him and her face lights up, and _holy shit,_ is she doing that because of him?!

“Hey,” she greets him with a bright smile on her face. “I wasn’t aware you were doing the drop off today?”

He shrugs and returns her smile. “I think I’ll be doing the drop off from now on.”

“Oh?” she says with a raised eyebrow, and he can see she’s waiting for him to say more. 

“Yeah. I heard my kid’s teacher is really pretty, so I decided to check her out myself.” The moment the words are out of his mouth, he mentally slaps himself, wondering if she's going to run for the hills now that she knows how awkward he is. 

It shocks him when, instead, all she does is blush as the corners of her mouth turn up. 

“I heard her say that she finds you very attractive.” She bites her lip, and if her blush drove him crazy, this is going to kill him. 

“Well,” he says, leaning in slightly. “If you do see her, can you ask her when she would be free this week?”

She looks up at him, and he’s suddenly lost in her eyes. He thought the Amazonian rainforests and the Aurora Borealis were pretty, but they are nothing compared to Rey. 

“She’s free tomorrow evening.” Her smile transforms from shy to sly, and he has to remind himself he can’t kiss her… yet. 

“I’ll pick her up tomorrow at 7 then.” He winks at her. Feeling eyes on him, he glances around, seeing the mothers Rey was talking to are staring at the pair of them as if they're some sort of dramatic telenovela. 

“I think we have an audience,” he says with a smirk. 

She snorts. “I think they’re bored,” she says and kisses his cheek - _again_ \- without a warning. “That should keep them occupied for a little bit.”

She turns around and claps her hands. “Okay little bugs, go to your spots!” She turns around to face him again and smiles. “See you in an hour?”

He nods and watches her go to the girls, not musing on the fact that she has kissed him three times now.

He knows it's his turn to return the favor, he just doesn't know if he has the self-restraint to stop at just a kiss.

Maybe she won’t mind if he doesn’t.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love you've given this special baby of mine! All the positive feedback has been overwhelming in the best way!
> 
> Special thanks goes to my beta Musickat18, who despite the fact that she's drowning in WIPs herself, made this chapter her priority. ❤️
> 
> Chapter count has gone up. 3 will be the final one ❤️
> 
> P.S: Rey teaches Ben new things in this chapter. I know nothing of that dance, despite the fact that I should, so please, if any of you sees something that's not quite right, let me know :)

Saturday comes faster than he expects, and he’s a nervous wreck. Elle is being picked up by Leia and having a sleepover at his parent’s place, which is fine since he is sure he won’t be in the mood to deal with her sugar high when he returns from his date with Rey. 

He is a nervous wreck. The last time he went on a first date was with Elle’s mother over six years ago. 

The little girl is sitting on the edge of his bed, swinging her legs and looking at him. 

“Daddy, you’re fiiiiine. Miss Rey really likes you,” she says with an eye roll that once more reminds him of his mother. 

“And I like her too, so I’m trying to make myself presentable.” he says as he fumbles with the buttons of his shirt and resists the urge to scream when he can't manage to get the buttons through their holes. 

Why does he have such huge fingers?

Elle rolls her eyes at his poor attempts. “I can do it for you.”

He sighs and sits on the bed, making himself reachable. “What would I do without you?” he says, marveling that he had the luck to get Elle for a daughter. What did he ever do to deserve her?

“Probably never ask Miss Rey out,” she says, sounding far too grown up for Ben's liking, before twisting her lips to the side, looking thoughtful. “I really like her, daddy.”

He kisses the crown of her head when she is done. “Me too, princess.” He points to his buttons. “Thanks for the help.”

“See. You need her,” she says with a wobbly chin and watery eyes. You’re sad, and tired, and nobody should be alone.”

He rushes to her side and scoops her up. “No, I’m not sad,” he says, running his fingers through her curls. “I have you, and that’s all I need.”

“And you have Miss Rey.” she says. 

He sighs. “Elle, honey, I don't have Miss Rey. This is just a first date.”

The doorbell rings as soon as the words are out of his mouth and he sets her down. “I think your grandma is here,” he goes to Elle’s room, grabbing the small bag with her belongings. “Come on. You know grandma gets crazy ideas when she’s left alone and unsupervised for too long.”

Elle giggles as they walk down the stairs. She puts on her shoes while he gets the door.

Greeting him isn’t his mother, however, but his father. 

“Hey, dad," he says. "Where's mom?"

Han smirks. "Your mother would have come, but I volunteered to come get Elle. Try and save you from her tonight."

Ben chuckles as he hands Han Elle's bag. "She's all yours. Feed her all the sugar you want, since she isn't mine to deal with tonight."

He leans down and pecks his daughter on the cheek. “You be good, okay? Be nice to grandma and grandpa.”

She nods very seriously. “You too. Be kind to miss Rey.”

He rolls his eyes but can’t help but smile. “Good night, little terror.”

She sticks her tongue out to him right before turning away and hurrying to Han’s car, 

Han throws him a wink as he hurries after Elle..

* * *

Rey is beautiful, and he’s starting to feel like a broken record. How is this girl available? Why hasn’t someone swept her off her feet yet?

Dinner has been going great. They haven’t stopped talking since they sat down. He feels like he’s been waiting for her his whole life, like everything that’s happened has led him to this moment, sitting across from her, listening to her go on and on about ballet, the little girls she loves so much, her adoptive mother Maz. They talk about nothing and everything. 

He finds himself telling her all about his parents, his uncle Luke - whom he mostly just tolerates - his work.

Before they know it, they are kindly asked to pay because it’s well past midnight, and they’ve been the only two people in the restaurant for the past hour.

Ben gives Rey his jacket as they walk to his car, all too aware of the chilly night and her short dress and thin sweater. 

They talk all the way to the car, and she is horrified when he tells her that he doesn’t know how to dance. 

“I can’t believe it.” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. 

“I swear,” he shrugs. “I can’t dance. When I try, I basically resemble a blind chicken.”

“This is unacceptable.” she says, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not having that.”

He opens the passenger’s door for her and she gets in. “Get in, Solo. We have places to be.” 

He blinks and closes the door after her, walking over to his side and getting in.

“Where exactly do we have to be?” he says, starting the engine. 

She smirks, and for a moment, the look on her face makes him nervous. 

“To my studio,” she says, turning to him. “We’re going to teach you how to dance.”

* * *

Rey unlocks the studio door, deactivates the alarm, and steps inside.Somehow, without his realizing it, his hand has gravitated to hers, and now that her fingers are twined in his, he doesn't want to let go. 

She doesn’t seem eager for him to let go either. 

She flips the switch, and the lights nearly blind him. Rey seems entire unaffected by the harsh glare.

Closing the door behind him, he follows her, dropping his keys and phone onto the reception desk.

“What now?” he asks as she turns to face him. 

Grabbing his other hand, she walks backwards, keeping her eyes on his. She leads him to the middle of the dance floor and stops. 

“Place your right hand directly under my left shoulder blade,” she says, nodding when he does. “Keep your elbow up.”

He follows her instructions, and she places her left hand on his shoulder, elbow raised. 

“Okay,” she says, nodding her approval. “Now, my right hand in your left hand, held up at nose level, like so,” she says as she guides their hands to the correct position. “Now. Welcome to Viennese Waltz 101.”

He is sure his eyes are like huge saucers. “What? I can’t even dance the funky chicken, let alone a waltz.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You can do it,” she says encouragingly. “Okay, stay like that and don’t move.”

He does as he is told and doesn’t move while she disentangles herself from him. He watches her go to the corner of the room and type something on the screen. Seconds later, the music plays. 

“Blue Danube,” she says as she approaches him. “People tend to prefer modern songs, but this is the quintessential song to dance the Viennese waltz to.”

Her slender hands resume their position, and she looks at him. “Okay. Normally, you’d start leading. But since you’re ‘a blind chicken who can’t even dance the funky chicken’, as you so like to put it, I’ll start. First, my right foot will move forward,” she says, and slowly does so. “You don’t do anything, you just follow my lead. I move forward, you move backwards.”

They move one step. “Now we move one step to the side,” she says, moving them again, and he follows her. “Yes, that’s great. Lastly, I’ll bring my foot here so I can close this.” 

She moves her right foot and positions it next to her left one. “Okay. This one, you lead. It’s a continuous back and forth between the partners. Think of it as the solar system,” she says. “The couple is the Earth spinning around its own axis, while around the sun at the same time. Our sun here is the center of the dance floor. Once you’re done, I’ll lead again. Think you can manage it?”

He paid very close attention to what she did, so he tries to mimic her movements as best as he can. 

“Yes, that’s perfect!” she exclaims, beaming up at him. Her praise makes him feel like he’s accomplished something amazing. 

They repeat the steps, slowly at first, and then faster as he gets the hang of it, until they're moving as one to the tune of the Blue Danube.

He watches her closely. She is smiling the whole time, the joy on her face unlike anything he has seen before. He realizes how much she loves doing this, that she was born to dance. 

They slowly come to a stop as the song ends. They both stare, unmoving in the center of the dance floor. 

His gaze moves over her features, taking them in. Her eyes, a shade of hazel he’s never seen, her tiny nose and lips, the dusting of freckles on her cheeks. She studies him too, and he wonders if she’s cataloguing all his unmatched features.

“Ben?” she says, half-whispering. “I think this is where you kiss –.”

He crushes his lips to hers before she can finish the sentence. He feels like his entire life has led to this, that it's what he was born to do, kissing Rey, savoring everything about her.

He feels her tongue along the seam of his lips and lets her in, the kiss getting hungrier, wilder. Her fingers pull on his hair and his hands roam over her body, wanting to feel all of her. 

She mumbles something he can’t understand and he breaks apart. “What?”

“Upstairs,” she says breathlessly, and he likes knowing he's the one who made her breathless 

She kisses him again, grabbing his collar and pulling him with her to a door. He breaks the kiss when he hears it open, looking first at the stairs, and then at her, before placing both hands on her ass and lifting her up. She wraps her legs around his waist and starts kissing his neck, biting and sucking gently as he walks them to what he assumes is her apartment. 

“It’s unlocked,” she says against his skin between kisses. 

He pushes the handle, stepping inside. He sets her down and she wastes no time in pushing his jacket off him and unbuttoning his shirt. Once it’s open and untucked, she looks at his chest with a hunger that makes his cock strain against his pants. 

He’s used to women looking at him, pretending not to stare as he walked by, but none of them have ever quite had the look Rey has now. There's hunger and appreciation, but Rey is also looking at him looking at him reverently, as if he's some sort of Adonis, and he wants to laugh at the absurdity of it. 

_She_ is a goddess. He wants to fall at her feet and worship her for as long as she’ll allow him. 

Grabbing his hand, she pulls him to her bedroom. She bites her lip, looking suddenly both shy and so very young.

His brows draw together. She's ten years his junior. Does she know that? Does that make him a creep? She's his daughter's ballet teacher. Maybe the whole thing is wrong. He should just leave, let her find someone closer to her age, someone more deserving of her, someone–

“Stop thinking,” she tells him softly. “Some things are meant to be felt, Ben, not thought. What do you feel?”

He swallows and wonders how truthful he can be before he scares her and she decides to flee, ending both whatever this is and his heart. 

“I feel like I could look at you every day for the rest of my life and never get my fill.”

She bites her lip, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “What else?” She reaches behind her back, and he hears her zipper being pulled down. 

“You’re beautiful,” he says, taking steps in her direction. “Funny, smart, kind.”

“Yeah?” Her dress falls into a puddle around her slim ankles, and he swallows at the sight of her. 

She isn’t wearing a bra, just a small lacy fabric that covers so little, it hardly qualifies as underwear. 

“Passionate,” he says, stopping once he’s close enough. “You light up a room with your presence.” He kisses her forehead. “You love life.” He kisses her nose. “You see the beauty in everything.” He kisses her cheeks. “I could go on forever.”

He pulls back to look at her, his eyes immediately feeling drawn to her half-parted lips. “But I’d rather spend my time doing other things.”

She wraps her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to kiss him. It’s not desperate like the one before, not rushed. It’s slow, and sweet, and one he hopes never stops. 

He lowers her down onto the bed and settles between her legs, his mouth traveling from her lips to her neck, her collarbones, her breasts — sucking on one and kneading the other. 

He revels in the sounds she makes, her breath catching, her eyes squeezing shut as a sound between a groan and a mewl leaves her lips.. 

He releases her nipple with a pop and kisses his way down her abdomen. Years of ballet have left her stomach more toned than he even realized was possible. 

She gasps when his mouth closes around her clit and sucks on it. He toys with her entrance, inserting one finger, groaning at how wet she already is. His mouth still sucking her clit, he inserts a second one. 

He loves the sounds she makes, soft at first and then louder and needier. He watches her face for the little the reactions that tell him when he's doing something right. He connected with Rey on an emotional level, and now he's trying to connect to her on a physical level. He finds a rhythm that has her gasping, her hands clenching the sheets on either side of her. He takes his time, not wanting to drag it out but also wanting to savor the moment. Her walls spasm around his fingers, so he knows she’s close. He speeds up his ministrations and she falls apart, bowing off the bed, her whole body shaking and her chest heaving as if she's just run a mile. He places a hand on her abdomen to hold her in place as she comes down, and he thinks she might be even more beautiful like this. His heart constricts, his emotions so strong it leaves him confused and scared.

Her breath hitches as he withdraws his fingers. She looks down at him with a lazy smile on her face, biting her lip.

“I’m on birth control and had my checkup a month ago,” she says. 

He nods. “I’m clean too,” he says. 

She reaches between them, grabbing his cock in her small hand, and the sound leaving his throat is a cross between a groan and a whimper. He feels touch starved, having been somewhat unwillingly celibate since Elle was born, and Rey's hand on him feels like she holds the solutions to every single one of his problems.

“No condom then?” she asks. “I want to feel all of you.”

He almost sobs at the admission because _god,_ if that isn’t how he feels about her. He nods and lines himself up with her entrance. He pushes in slowly, both of them holding their breath. He marvels at how amazing she feels, at how perfectly they fit together, as if they were made to do this. 

She exhales sharply as he pulls out, her breath hitching as he snaps his hips back in. He kisses her deeply, pouring every ounce of attraction and feeling he has into it. She kisses him back just as eagerly, and it's pure fire, both desperate and not, as they start moving as one. This is not the kind of dance she teaches, not the kind he dances very often, but is the kind he knows well. 

She wraps her legs around his waist, and he can feel them shaking as he watches her. 

She’s biting her lip hard, eyebrows furrowed, until every muscle on her beautiful face relaxes and she lets out a guttural moan, breathing hard. He feels her contract around him and speeds up, pumping in and out of her with reckless abandon, chasing his own release, until he feels like he’s seeing stars. He comes with a shudder, the noise coming out of his throat a sound he doesn’t even recognize as being his. 

He rests his head on her shoulder, breathing heavily as she plays with his hair. Once he feels like he can move again, he shifts, lying next to her and pulling her flush against him. She curls into his side, her head on his chest, and starts drawing lazy circles on his chest. 

She is the one to break the silence. “I don’t usually do this,” she says, her voice low. “I'm not - I don't have sex on the first date.”

He squeezes her closer, humming in agreement. “I don’t do this, period. I don’t date. I don’t sleep around.”

“You don’t date?” she asks, resting her chin on his chest. 

“I don’t,” he replies. “It’s a bit hard. I come with the sort of baggage women aren’t prepared for. It’s all fine, until they find out I have a kid.”

“I don’t mind your baggage,” she says. “I actually love your baggage very much, even before I got to know you.”

He smiles and runs his fingers down her spine. “She loves you, too,” He says softly. 

She smiles, and even though she stays quiet for a long moment, he can feel her gaze on him. “Look, Ben. I’ll be honest with you. I’d love nothing more than to see where this goes. But if we decide to try, we have to be careful. I would never want to hurt Elle.”

He nods in agreement. “I know. Elle is already playing matchmaker. She spends way too much time with my mother.”

She laughs, and for the first time in a long time, he lets himself hope that there could be something more between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this and thanks for reading- you can find me on Tumblr Shestoolazytologin or Twitter @Reylo4President. I'm chatty, so don't be shy 😊


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry this took me so long and thanks for your patience ❤️ Here's the final chapter. Thanks for reading, subscribing, leaving a kudos or a comment - I've loved every single one of them and am so thankful for each and everyone of you.
> 
> Em, thanks for giving me the softest prompt. It has been a pleasure ❤️
> 
> Special thanks goes to my beta Musickat18 ❤️

[ ](https://ibb.co/715V89z)

He wakes up on the bed alone the next morning, and takes in his surroundings. The previous night’s activities come crashing into him, and he smiles. 

Rey is perfect. Perfect and _his._

He stretches lazily and then jumps out of the bed, heading to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he catalogues one thing first:

Rey bites. 

Second is the stupid grin plastered on his face. It makes him look ridiculous, but the more he thinks about the previous night, the wider he smiles. 

There’s a new toothbrush lying on top of a pile of fresh towels, with a note next to it — a heart and an R. 

Smiling, he turns the water on and hops in the shower. 

Once clean — and smelling like Rey —he returns to the bedroom, puts his pants on, and after failing to locate his shirt, he decides to just head to the kitchen. 

The sudden disappearance of his shirt is explained the moment he sees Rey. She’s wearing it, and it barely covers her round ass, making her already long legs look even longer. Her hair is up in a messy bun, and she’s swaying, though he can’t hear any music. 

As he approaches, he sees she’s wearing earbuds. 

He circles his arms around her from behind and kisses her neck. She turns around and takes her earbuds off. 

“Good Morning,” she says, smiling up at him. He decides that it’s a very good morning indeed. 

“Hi.” He smiles back and kisses her.

She nuzzles his nose when they break apart and looks up at him. “Did you sleep well?”

He nods. “Best sleep I’ve had in a very long time.”

She turns around and flips her pancake. “That bad, usually?”

“I go to sleep late,” he says, shrugging.

“Coffee or tea?” she asks, grabbing a mug from the cupboard. 

“Coffee, please. Black.” she pours him a cup. 

“I usually drink black tea, but I figured you might want coffee,” she says, handing him a mug. 

He smiles at her as a silent of thank you and watches as she flips a pancake. They don’t talk, not because they have nothing to say, but because the silence is enjoyable. Watching her move around in his shirt is enjoyable.

“Let me help.” he says, and she turns to look at him. 

She smiles and points to the cupboard overhead. “There’re plates there. Utensils are in the first drawer on the left of the dishwasher.”

“So,” he says once they’re sitting at the table. “What are you doing today?”

She shrugs. “I’m meeting with a close friend. Will eventually go for a run. You?”

He swallows and takes a sip of his coffee. “I have to pick up the terror from my parents’ place, and probably taking her out for lunch.”

“She is not a terror.” Rey laughs. “She’s very sweet.”

“Oh, good to know,” he says, nodding. “I’ll bring her over the next time she’s throwing a tantrum, though she would most probably behave for you. It’s all _miss Rey_ this and _miss Rey_ that at this point.”

Rey’s looking at him with a soft smile on her face. “You’re a good dad, Ben.”

He’s pretty sure he’s blushing. No one except for Elle and his parents has ever told him he’s a good dad. 

His heart doubles in size.

* * *

He and Rey grow closer over the course of the next few months. He knows Elle is projecting on Rey all the love she would have given her mother, and Rey is doting on her as if she were her own. They’re both abandoned souls, so that’s something they bond over. 

He gives her the key to his house a month after they start dating, and she picks up Elle from Kindergarten on the days she has no classes at the studio. He finds them baking cookies one day, and he falls in love a little more, as if he isn’t already crazy enough about them.

The sight of Rey and Elle doing things together and getting along so splendidly is one he will cherish forever — he hopes Rey will be part of his forever.

Rey sleeps over after the second month. Elle has a bad dream that first night, and he nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears her call them — both of them — on the baby monitor he still can’t bring himself to throw out, even if his baby is 5.

Rey tells him “stay,” and throws on a robe, rushing to Elle’s bedroom.

The last thing he remembers before falling back to sleep is Rey singing his daughter back to sleep and he realizes that she is the love of his life.

* * *

It’s the day of Elle’s recital, and both his girls are going crazy — one from stress and one from joy.

Rey, the stressed one, keeps repeating how she trusts her girls like a mantra, how they’re brilliant, and that it’s all going to be okay. Elle can’t stand still for more than two seconds, because “she is going to dance and everyone will be watching her”.

“Please, both of you,” he begs, but it falls on deaf ears. “You,” he points to Rey “are going to be fine. And you,” he points to Elle “are going to tire yourself by jumping around.”

“You should go sit,” says Rey looking at her watch. “I have to give the girls one last tiny speech before they go out.”

He nods. “You’ll be amazing, Rey. You’ve taught them well.”

She smiles and kisses him. “Thank you.”

He cups her cheek, deepening the kiss until she melts into him. 

“Go now,” she says, pulling away and pushing him lightly. “Go. Otherwise I can’t promise to keep my hands off you.”

* * *

The show is amazing. Rey’s girls perform as if they’re professionals, but he’s particularly proud of his own girls — Rey for being such an amazing teacher, and Elle for shining so bright. 

He takes them along with his parents out to celebrate after the show. By the time they’re done, Elle has fallen asleep against Rey’s side. He scoops her up, careful not to wake her, and walks them to the car. 

His parents bid them goodbye and lightly kiss Elle’s cheek, leaving them alone in the parking lot. He straps Elle into her car seat and goes over to his side of the car, hopping in. 

Rey is staring at him but he can’t decipher the look on her face. “What?”

“Thank you,” she whispers softly, grabbing his hand and kissing it. “Thank you for being there for me when I felt like I was about to lose it.”

He cups her cheek and strokes it with his thumb. “I’ll always be there for you.”

“I sometimes feel like you were put in my path for a reason, like every choice I’ve made so far has brought me to this moment, here and now, with you,” she says, and he’s struck by how similar her feelings are to his. 

“Will you believe me if I tell you I feel that way every single day?” He answers simply and she smiles. 

“Yeah, I will.” is all the answer she gives him. He takes her silence as a sign to drive them home. 

The whole way, there is only one thing on his mind. He has to tell her. She should know. 

* * *

He moves slowly, but his thrusts are sharp and defined. She seems to prefer slow sensual strokes to fast sex. He certainly doesn’t complain. He gets to savor her more this way. 

Her breath hitches in her throat, and she bites her lip, the cords on her neck standing out as she throws her head back, groaning as she comes. She's biting her lip so hard, he's a little worried she's going to bite through it. 

It takes him a few more thrusts before he comes, not pulling out immediately, staying in her warmth. 

His head is resting on the pillow next to hers as they spoon, and he’s nuzzling the back of her ear. He thinks she has cute ears, even though she’s always quick to tell him she’s obsessed with his. 

The silence eventually becomes too much. “Baby?”

“Yeah?” She answers. She sounds as if she’s just come out of a very long massage. 

“I love you.”

She tenses, and he’s so anxious, he can hear the beating of his own heart in his ears.

“What?” She whispers, turning to face him. “What did you just say?”

“I love you,” he says simply, as if there’s no reason or explanation behind it, except there is. 

Rey is the reason and the explanation. The beginning and the end. The A to Z. His life revolves around her and his daughter. He orbits them. 

“You love me?” She says, her voice cracking.

“Yeah,” is all he says as his eyes and nose start to burn. “I love you like crazy. I love you so much, I think my heart is going to burst. I love you so much, it makes me feel desperate.”

Tears run down her face, and he wipes them away. 

“Ben?” she asks “Do you believe in soulmates?”

"Before you," he said, "I would have said no. But now, with you here, my life can be dated from the moment I met you. There's before and after Rey. So I didn't use to, but now...now soulmate is a word I will always associate with you."

She nods. “Two that are one. A dyad.”

He nods and kisses her cheek. “Yeah.”

“Well, that settles it,” she says, turning to face him again. “You’re my soulmate. My other half. The one that completes me in the best way. And I’m so in love with you, it makes me cry.”

He laughs, and she joins him, and soon he’s kissing her, and making love to her again.

“Move in with me,” he says as he rocks in and out of her slowly, and she laughs. 

“Ben. Half of my wardrobe is already here,” she says. 

He works his jaw, trying to muster up the courage to finally, _finally, ask her._

This isn’t the right time, and god knows he wasn’t planning to ask her while he’s balls deep inside her, but fuck it, this is what makes them perfect.

“Marry me.”

She kisses him in between sobs and nods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this and thanks for reading- you can find me on Tumblr Shestoolazytologin or Twitter @Reylo4President. I'm chatty, so don't be shy 😊


End file.
